Ep 312: Why This OB-GYN Walked Away From the System with Dr. Nathan Riley
Birth With Power
Dr. Nicole C. Rankins
4.8 • 650 Ratings
🗓️ 9 December 2025
⏱️ 64 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Hospital birth may not be the right path for every OB/GYN.
This week, I’m in conversation with Dr. Nathan Riley, an OB-GYN and palliative care physician who left conventional medicine to support home birth and midwifery-led care. We talk about what the system gets wrong, what it does right, and how honoring true autonomy can transform the birth experience.
You’ll hear two OBs with very different paths, get real about training gaps, liability fears, and what actually supports healthy birth. Whether you’re planning a home birth, a hospital birth, or you’re just curious about your options, this is an episode that challenges assumptions and opens possibilities.
You’ll learn:
- Why Dr. Riley left the hospital system — and what he does now
- How hospital training limits women’s birth choices
- What really happens during an emergency C-section
- The untold truth about vaginal breech birth
- What autonomy actually looks like in labor (and how to prepare for it)
Resources mentioned:
- Dr. Nathan Riley on Instagram
- Born Free Method
- Beloved Holistics
Free Resources to Help You Birth With Power
Get the support, clarity, and confidence you deserve. Download any of my free tools designed to help you prepare for a calmer, confident, and more empowered hospital birth:
• Hospital Tour Scorecard — Know exactly what to look for so you can choose the right hospital
• How to Tell If Your OB Is Right for You — Ask the right questions and spot red flags early
• Labor Pain Management Playbook — Learn the tools and strategies I teach my own patients
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hey, what's up y'all? Kelly Clarkson with Wayfair. My favorite thing about the holidays? |
| 0:04.0 | Dacking out my whole house. It's not a competition, but if it was, well, I'd win the season with Wayfair. Outdoor inflatable Santa? Got it on Wayfair. Trees, lights, and ornaments? Wayfair. Hosting must-havs, like dining sets, beds, sheets, and towels, Wayfair. |
| 0:19.5 | For everything in your style delivered with fast and free shipping, |
| 0:22.6 | visit Wayfair.com towels, Wayfair. For everything in your style delivered with fast and free shipping, visit Wayfair.com or the |
| 0:24.2 | Wayfair app to win the season. |
| 0:25.9 | But again, it's not a competition. |
| 0:29.9 | Today's conversation is one you probably haven't heard before. |
| 0:34.6 | I'm talking with an OBGYN who stepped completely outside the traditional |
| 0:39.6 | medical system to support home birth, collaborate with midwives, and approach pregnancy |
| 0:45.0 | through a more holistic lens. Dr. Nathan Riley, dad of two girls, sourdough baker and co-creator |
| 0:51.2 | of the Born Free Method, shares why he walked away from conventional practice |
| 0:55.5 | and what he's learned about autonomy, risk, and what really supports healthy birth. |
| 1:01.9 | This is an exploration of what's possible when we rethink the system. This conversation will |
| 1:08.0 | open your eyes. |
| 1:20.3 | Welcome to the Birth with Power podcast, where knowledge is power and power transforms birth. |
| 1:21.3 | I'm Dr. Nicole Calloway Rankin's mom of two and practicing board certified OBGYN with over 20 |
| 1:26.8 | years of experience and nearly 2,000 |
| 1:29.2 | birth attended. |
| 1:30.5 | I've seen firsthand how the hospital system can leave women feeling unheard and uncertain, |
| 1:36.4 | but that doesn't have to be your story. |
| 1:38.6 | Here, you'll get the knowledge, support, and strategies to take charge of your birth experience |
| 1:43.7 | so you can walk into the hospital |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Dr. Nicole C. Rankins, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Dr. Nicole C. Rankins and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.